Metal stitcher

Abstract

A hand-held portable power tool for use in an operation for joining and fastening two or more abutting steel plates, the tool comprises: a housing unit; a clamp, a punch, a power mechanism and a punch actuator. The clamp is mounted on the housing unit and is movable from an open position to a clamped position. The clamped position is a position that enables the clamp to hold the abutting steel plates together and prohibit them from moving in relationship to each other. The punch is mounted within the housing unit and has a hollow ground chisel shape. The power mechanism is engageable with the punch and the clamp. The power mechanism is of sufficient capacity to clamp and hold the abutting steel plates together and to drive the punch through the abutting steel plates. The punch actuator is actuatable from an off position to an on position. When the punch actuator is actuated to the on position, the power mechanism engages with the clamp and moves the clamp to the clamped position holding the abutting steel plates together and the power mechanism engages with the punch and drives the punch through the abutting steel plates, wherein an end of the punch that has the hollow ground chisel shape is used to penetrate the steel plates. The punch has a piercing lead-in tip for entering a back end of holes to be punched in the abutting steel plates, whereby when the piercing lead-in tip is driven by the power mechanism into the steel plates, material is punched out of the steel plates to form holes and is progressively moved to form abutting spiral shaped cut-out steel plate segments in locked fastening engagement to secure the abutting steel plates in unitary assembly.

I claim: 
     
       1. A hand-held portable power tool for use in an operation for joining and fastening two or more abutting steel plates, the tool comprising: a housing unit;   clamp means, said clamp means being mounted on said housing unit, said clamp means being movable from an open position to a clamped position, said clamped position being a position that enables said clamp means to hold said abutting steel plates together and prohibit them from moving in relationship to each other;   punch means, said punch means being mounted within said housing unit;   power means, said power means being engageable with said punch means and said clamp means, said power means being of sufficient capacity to clamp and hold said abutting steel plates together and to drive said punch means through said abutting steel plates; and   a punch actuator, said punch actuator being attached to said housing unit, said punch actuator being actuatable from an off position to an on position, said clamp means being in an open position and said punch means being in an open position when said punch actuator is in an off position, when said punch actuator is actuated to the on position, said power means engages with said clamp means and moves said clamp means to the clamped position holding said abutting steel plates together and said power means engages with said punch means and drives said punch means through said abutting steel plates, said punch means having a hollow ground chisel shape, wherein an end of said punch means that has the hollow ground chisel shape is used to penetrate the steel plates, said punch means having a piercing lead-in tip for entering a back end of holes to be punched in said abutting steel plates, the hollow ground chisel shape having an angle of between 30°-45° as taken from a bottom edge of said piercing lead-in tip relative to a longitudinal axis through the punch means, whereby when said piercing lead-in tip is driven by said power means into said steel plates, material is punched out of said steel plates to form said holes and is progressively moved to form abutting spiral shaped cut-out steel plate segments in locked fastening engagement to secure the abutting steel plates in unitary assembly.   
     
     
       2. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 1, wherein said punch means comprises at least one hollow ground chisel shaped lead-in tip. 
     
     
       3. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 2, wherein said punch means penetrates said abutting steel plates at an inclined plane in relationship to said abutting steel plates. 
     
     
       4. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 2, wherein said punch means penetrates said abutting steel plates perpendicularly in relationship to said abutting steel plates. 
     
     
       5. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 3, wherein said punch has a triangular cross-section wherein the triangular cross-section is defined by three points with one of said points being the piercing lead-in tip for penetrating said abutting steel plates. 
     
     
       6. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 5, wherein said holes created in said steel plates are triangular in shape and said abutting spiral shaped cut-out steel plate segments are triangular in shape with respect to the associated holes created in said steel plates. 
     
     
       7. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 3, wherein said punch has a rectangular cross-section wherein the rectangular cross-section is defined by four points with two of said points and an edge between said two points being the piercing lead-in tip for penetrating said abutting steel plates. 
     
     
       8. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 7, wherein said holes created in said steel plates are rectangular in shape and said abutting spiral shaped cut-out steel plate segments are rectangular in shape with respect to the associated holes created in said steel plates. 
     
     
       9. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 4, wherein said punch has a pair of side-by-side hollow ground chisel shapes, said punch having a pair of side-by-side piercing lead-in tips for entering a back end of holes to be punched in said abutting steel plates whereby when said piercing lead-in tips are driven by said power means into said steel plates, material is punched out of said steel plates to form said holes and is progressively moved to form two abutting spiral shaped cut-out steel plate segments side-by-side in locked fastening engagement to secure the abutting steel plates in unitary assembly. 
     
     
       10. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 1, wherein the piercing lead-in tip is oriented and positioned to form a corner of the holes being punched. 
     
     
       11. In combination, a hand-held portable power tool and at least two abutting steel plates, said hand-held portable power tool used for joining and fastening said steel plates, the tool comprising: a housing unit;   clamp means, said clamp means being mounted on said housing unit, said clamp means being movable from an open position to a clamped position, said clamped position being a position that enables said clamp means to hold said abutting steel plates together and prohibit them from moving in relationship to each other;   punch means, said punch means being mounted within said housing unit;   power means, said power means being engageable with said punch means and said clamp means, said power means being of sufficient capacity to clamp and hold said abutting steel plates together and to drive said punch means through said abutting steel plates; and   a punch actuator, said punch actuator being attached to said housing unit, said punch actuator being actuatable from an off position to an on position, said clamp means being in an open position and said punch means being in an open position when said punch actuator is in an off position, when said punch actuator is actuated to the on position, said power means engages with said clamp means and moves said clamp means to the clamped position holding said abutting steel plates together and said power means engages with said punch means and drives said punch means through said abutting steel plates, said punch means having a hollow ground chisel shape, wherein an end of said punch means that has the hollow ground chisel shape is used to penetrate the steel plates, said punch means having a piercing lead-in tip for entering a back end of holes to be punched in said abutting steel plates, the hollow ground chisel shape having an angle of between 30°-45° as taken from a bottom edge of said piercing lead-in tip relative to a longitudinal axis through the punch means, whereby when said piercing lead-in tip is driven by said power means into said steel plates, material is punched out of said steel plates to form said holes and is progressively moved to form abutting spiral shaped cut-out steel plate segments in locked fastening engagement to secure the abutting steel plates in unitary assembly.   
     
     
       12. The combination according to claim 11, wherein said punch means penetrates said abutting steel plates perpendicularly in relationship to said steel plates. 
     
     
       13. A hand-held portable power tool according to claim 12, wherein said punch has a pair of side-by-side hollow ground chisel shapes, said chisel shapes having a pair of side-by-side piercing lead-in tips for lead-in entry into a back end of holes to be punched in said abutting steel plates whereby when said piercing lead-in tips are driven by said power means into said steel plates, material is punched out of said steel plates to form said holes and is progressively moved to form two abutting spiral shaped cut-out steel plate segments side-by-side in locked fastening engagement to secure the abutting steel plates in unitary assembly. 
     
     
       14. The combination according to claim 13, wherein each of said pair of side-by-side hollow ground chisel shapes has a triangular cross-section wherein the triangular cross-section is defined by three points with one of said points being the piercing lead-in tip for penetrating said abutting steel plates. 
     
     
       15. The combination according to claim 14, wherein said holes created in said steel plates are triangular in shape and said abutting spiral shaped cut-out steel plate segments are triangular in shape with respect to the associated holes created in said steel plates. 
     
     
       16. The combination according to claim 11, wherein each of said pair of side-by-side hollow ground chisel shapes has a rectangular cross-section wherein the rectangular cross-section is defined by four points with two of said points and an edge between said two points being the piercing lead-in tip for penetrating said abutting steel plates. 
     
     
       17. The combination according to claim 16, wherein said holes created in said steel plates are rectangular in shape and said abutting spiral shaped cut-out steel plate segments are rectangular in shape with respect to the associated holes created in said steel plates. 
     
     
       18. The combination according to claim 11, wherein the piercing lead-in tip is oriented and positioned to form a corner of the holes being punched.